by V. Vaughn
“We live in interesting times, for sure,” says Marcel. He slips his arm around Tally’s shoulders.
“Oh, hey,” says Dawn to me. “Your phone was buzzing earlier. It might have been a call from a certain smoking-hot warrior.”
“Thanks,” I say as I get up to go in the kitchen and check my cell. I like to leave it there when I’m with the kids so I’m not distracted. When I get there, I find that I have multiple messages, but I barely get time to see who they’re from when my phone buzzes in my hand again. My heart stops for a moment because it’s my alpha’s husband, Richard Robichaux. “Hello, Richard. What’s wrong?”
“Bella. We need you at home. There was an attack and several warriors are injured.”
“I’ll be right there. Should I bring help? Dawn is with me.”
“Yes. Kimi is here, but you might need Dawn too.” He pauses. “This one is bad. Multiple gunshots.”
I want to ask if Cade is okay, but it wouldn’t be wise for me to arouse suspicion with the alpha’s husband. Instead, I focus on the emergency. “On my way,” I say as I walk to the living room, and I click off my phone as I keep moving. “Dawn, we have to go.” My feet pound up the stairs to the guest room as I whisper in case the kids are awake. “There was an attack, and they need our help.”
Dawn rushes after me along with Tally. Once we’re in the guest room, I grab my bag and move to the bathroom. Tally asks, “Should I come too?”
“No,” I say. “It’ll leave your clan vulnerable.”
She hurries out of the room again. The Ouellettes are the only clan for miles in this area, while there are three clans in my kingdom, which means we try to leave one witch on call most of the time. Although to be truthful, we’ve been lax about it since we haven’t had any trouble in a couple years. My toiletries clatter into my bag as I swipe my arm across the counter. My mind is racing as I wonder how badly my warriors are injured. The image of Cade comes to mind, but I push it away and tell myself he’s never been hurt before so it’s ridiculous to believe he would be now.
When Dawn and I get back downstairs, Tally hands us a grocery bag. “I figure you don’t have much time to get supplies at your house before going to the alpha’s, so I gathered some for you.”
I lean in and kiss my friend. “Thanks, Tally.”
“Bella.”
I glance over at Marcel.
“Cade’s fine. He’s too good to get hurt.”
I give him a quick smile. “Thanks.” But there’s no way to know that for sure until I talk to Richard again. Or maybe I can get information from the messages left for me.
When we get outside, Dawn says, “I’ll drive. You have phone calls to make.”
I nod at her and walk over to the passenger side of my car. As Dawn backs out of the driveway, I check to see who else called me. I have one from Marion, the alpha, and another from Richard. I click on the voicemail of Marion’s to listen, and she tells me what I feared. “Oh god,” I say when it’s finished.
“What?” asks Dawn.
“They were ambushed, and at least five warriors are hurt with multiple gunshot wounds.” Werebear have incredible healing powers and can recover from simple cuts in minutes and more serious wounds in days. But gunshots present different problems. If the bullet doesn’t go all the way through, the werebear heals around it, and it’s important to get them out if they’re interfering with vital organs. While we have trained medical doctors to deal with surgery, magic is usually necessary to interfere with werebears’ natural defenses and let the doctors do their work.
I listen to Richard’s message, which is pretty much the same thing Marion told me. Since I’m sure Marion is with the warriors, I call Richard with the hope he can give me more information.
“Bella,” says Richard, “are you on your way?”
“Yes. Fill me in on the details.”
“This was a well-thought-out plan we didn’t see coming. The perimeter of our territory was attacked at four points all at the same time, making it difficult for our warriors to figure out where to go.”
My stomach knots up with worry. “How many, and how bad?”
“A few superficial wounds, six fairly serious ones, and one warrior who might not make it.”
Cade. Every once in a while, my powers allow a truth to penetrate my shields and slam into me like a freight train. The dashboard is hard on my hand when I press against it as if I’m bracing myself for impact.
I ask, “Which warrior?”
“Cade.” A loud bang comes from his end, and I think Richard may have punched something. “He’s the best damn warrior we have, and the fool jumped in front of a rookie to save him.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
When I hang up, I say to Dawn, “I don’t care how you do it, but we need to get back to Maine as fast as possible. Cade--” My heart feels as if it’s being ripped from my chest. “Cade is dying.”
“Oh my god,” Dawn says as she jams the gas pedal down to the floor and the engine whines. “Be prepared to cloak us from the police, Bella. We’re about to see just how fast your car can go.”
Chapter 9
The drive from Safe Harbor to our home near Orono, Maine, is usually three hours, but we make it in just under two. Dawn barely stops the car before I’m out and running into the Robichaux mansion. I race to the large kitchen, where I imagine the doctor and Kimi are working on Cade. When I get there, I stop in my tracks. Cade’s on the table and is so pale he looks dead. He’s definitely unconscious, and blood is everywhere. Ice runs through my veins as I’m frozen with fear, but since Dr. Thompson’s hands are in Cade’s chest, I hold on to hope. Kimi is chanting softly and holding the warrior’s head.
“Cade,” I whisper as my throat tightens with the urge to cry.
“Thank you for coming,” says Marion, my alpha. She’s standing with her husband, Richard, and I imagine a woman as powerful as she must hate feeling helpless. I gaze into her deep-blue eyes and nod.
“Damn warrior heals too fast,” grumbles Dr. Thompson.
“Bella,” Kimi says in a weak voice. “I--”
She sways on her feet, and I turn to Annette, a woman who works for the Robichaux.
I say, “Get Kimi in a chair before she faints.” The old medicine woman has probably depleted all her magic, trying to hold on until I got here. As I take Kimi’s place at Cade’s head, I say, “Kimi needs food, and don’t let her tell you otherwise.”
Dawn has entered the room and says, “I’ve got her.”
Dr. Thompson says, “Bella, I need you to stall the healing process.”
“On it,” I say as I watch him work on Cade’s heart. The vital organ is pumping as Dr. Thomson appears to be trying to dig a bullet out. I’ve been in many situations in which I need to close off my emotions to be able to deal, and I make it happen now as I place my hands on the warrior’s temples. Drawing up a steady stream of magic, I envision it flowing through his veins to get to where the doctor is working. I surround Cade’s heart with a shield that keeps his healing powers out.
“Perfect,” says the doctor. “Just hold tight, and I’ll get the pieces out as fast as I can.” He grimaces as he tugs out fragments and they clink into a metal bowl. “Okay. Last piece.” The doctor smiles as he holds up the final fragment. And then he begins to put Cade back together. “This guy is unbelievable,” Dr. Thompson says. “I’m not sure how he’s still-- Damn it!” Dr. Thompson drops his suture material and turns to Annette. “Paddles! His heart stopped.”
No! My shield I’m holding shouldn’t have stopped his heart, but I release it so anything Cade’s body can do to heal will happen. “Don’t you dare leave me,” I say as panic rises in me, threatening to interfere with my magic.
Richard says, “Hold on, Cade!”
“Clear!” shouts the doctor, and I remove my hands as he sends a shock through Cade’s body. The warrior’s chest arches up before he lands with a sickening thud. We all stare at his heart, but it doesn’t mo
ve. “Again,” says Dr. Thompson as the machine lets out a high-pitched hum, and he shocks Cade another time. This time, we wait for what feels like a lifetime as nothing happens. The doctor tries a third time before he says, “This isn’t working.” He steps back and drops his hands.
“No! You can’t stop,” I say.
I try to grab the paddles he set down, but Dr. Thompson grips my wrists, and sadness fills his eyes.
“Bella. There is nothing we can do.”
Tears burn in my eyes, and I feel as if my heart is dying along with Cade. “Please.”
The doctor says, “He fought as hard as he could, but Cade lost so much blood. I can’t believe he lasted as long as he did.”
Marion grabs my shoulders lightly. “I know, dear. It’s hard to lose one of our own.”
I shake off her grip and gaze into her concerned face. “No. You don’t understand. He’s--”
Dawn says, “Bella! That’s it. Use your connection.”
I turn to her. “But we haven’t completed the bond.”
Tally and Marcel created their true-mate-like connection when he bit her.
“You can do it now,” she says. Dawn grabs a bloody scalpel and then my hand.
“But Cade can’t bite me. We don’t even know if--ouch!”
Dawn slices my wrist, dragging Cade’s blood across my veins. “It doesn’t have to be a bite. It’s his blood in yours that makes it happen.”
“What the hell are you doing?” demands Marion.
I gasp as heat rushes down my arm and races to my heart. It’s like stepping into a hot bath, and I want to moan in pleasure.
Her tone is harsh when she asks, “Did you--?”
Dawn’s just as stern as she says, “I did.” She squints with determination at Marion as if begging for a challenge and then speaks with defiance she may not get away with. “And it appears to have worked.”
Werebear can bond with each other by biting, and even if they aren’t true mates, they feel a connection that mimics true-mate love that can last for weeks. Since we discovered werebear and witches can have a strong bond too, it makes sense that the temporary versions can happen for us as well, and apparently, it just did.
Marion asks, “Now what?” Clearly, she wants to save Cade more than she wants to punish Dawn or me for what just happened, but I have no doubt she will later.
Dawn says, “Bella, I think you need to grab his heart and pump it full of all the magic you’ve got.”
One great thing about werebear is they don’t get infections, so I reach into Cade’s chest and wrap my bare fingers around his exposed heart. The sensation of our connection is swirling in me, and the moment I squeeze his heart, it surges to a new level that makes me cry out. But it’s not in pain. The power is as though I just turbocharged my magic, and I close my eyes as I direct it all toward Cade.
I flash to the image of him painting with concentration and when I swiped my paintbrush on his canvas. I picture him with laughter in his eyes that turns to desire as I recall the way he’s kissed me in the past, and then I remember how a smile comes to my face every time I think about him, and I focus on that emotion of love to add it to my magical mix.
I lean down close to him, and I’m sure I’m getting covered in his blood as I whisper in his ear, “Come back to me, Cade. Please come back.”
When you throw out magic full throttle, it depletes quickly, and I begin to see stars before my eyes. “Dawn,” I say in a small voice, and she gets behind me to grab my arms and press her body against mine so she can lend me some of her power. Her magic pushes through me, giving the connection I have with Cade another burst of energy.
Suddenly, the heart I’m holding in my hand swells, and it stays that way for a moment before it contracts.
“It worked!” I cry out, and I loosen my grip to see if Cade can do it without me. When his heart keeps pumping, I let out a huge sigh of relief and step back.
“Yes!” says Dawn.
Richard also sighs with relief and says, “Thank god.”
“Nicely done, Bella,” says Marion.
I look at Dr. Thompson’s smiling face. “Very nice work, young lady. Now let me get him sewn up so he can heal.”
I step away from the table, and Annette grabs my arm gently to lead me to a chair. She tells Dawn to sit as well and then brings us both a glass of juice.
She asks, “Bella, do you need a sandwich?”
I nod slowly as exhaustion tries to take over. I hold up my hands and look at the blood that’s all over me. It should feel sticky, but my usual need to keep my hands clean doesn’t come. I wrap my arms around myself as I slide back further in my chair, and I hear the cheers from the warriors, which make me assume Marion and Richard told them Cade is going to be okay. After I clean up and eat, my energy level rises, and the doctor has finished closing up Cade.
I walk over and gaze down at his pale face. His skin is warm and soft on my fingers as I move hair off his forehead, and tears of joy fill my eyes. Tally said she and Marcel can communicate telepathically because of their soul-mate bond, so I speak to my precious warrior in my head the words I’m afraid to say out loud. I love you, Cade. It’s probably wishful thinking, but the corners of his mouth turn up a little.
I swipe the tears from my face and walk into the great room, where other warriors are sitting around, waiting for Cade to wake up. I notice a girl, and since she looks just like Cade, I assume it’s his sister.
“Julia?” I ask.
“How is he?” she asks.
“Still sleeping, but things look good now. His scar is already healing. You can go see him.”
She says, “Thanks. My brother’s either a hero or a fool.”
A soon as Julia is gone, a young warrior named Will looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. “He’s a fool, but I have my life thanks to him. I’m not sure how I can ever repay him.”
I gaze at him as I think about the kind of man Cade is. He wouldn’t want Will to be indebted to him for life, so I say, “You become the best warrior you can possibly be, and make Cade proud. That’s how to pay him back.”
“Bella,” calls out Dawn from the doorway to the kitchen. “He’s awake.”
I rush back to Cade. When I get there, I go to him and slide my hand over his strong shoulder. “Thank god. We almost lost you.”
He gives me a weak smile as Dawn says, “Bella saved you.”
I place my hand on Cade’s cheek, and he croaks out, “You’re hurt.” He reaches up and lifts my hand to inspect my wrist that Annette bandaged up for me. “What happened?”
I glance at Dawn in fear. When werebear create a bond, it has to be consensual. Especially because if it’s not, one of the partners has been tricked into feeling emotions of love that aren’t sincere. In our clan, that’s a punishable offense. While I think Marion might let it go since I saved Cade’s life, I was still wrong.
Chapter 10
“What—“ Cade coughs. “What happened to your wrist, Bella?” Cade asks again. Dr. Thompson just left to check on a few of the other warriors with Annette’s assistance, and I’m not sure where Richard and Marion went. With just Dawn to hear us, I can speak freely.
“I did what I had to do to save you.” I bite my lip as I try to figure out the best way to tell him that he’s temporarily in love with me. When I can’t think of how to sugarcoat the news, I blurt out, “I bonded with you so that the strength of the connection would amplify my magic to save you.”
He smiles dreamily. “We’re bonded.”
“Yeah. But while that makes you happy now, you’re going to be pissed at me when it wears off.”
“Who says it’s going to wear off?” he asks as he attempts to waggle his brows.
“Exactly,” says Dawn. “You know what the card said.”
“Card?” asks Cade.
I let out a sigh. “Dawn is convinced you and I have the kind of bond Tally and Marcel do.”
“Tally thinks so too,” says Dawn.
I glare
at her. “You should go check on the other warriors with Dr. Thompson in case he needs more of your magic.”
She throws up her hands as she laughs. “Fine. I’ll leave the lovebirds alone.”
I look back at Cade. “I’m sorry, but your heart stopped, and everyone thought you’d died. I had no choice. I’m completely fine with staying away from you until the bond wears off, because no matter how much it will hurt, saving you was worth it.”
“You would do anything to save me, wouldn’t you?” he asks as a grin covers his face.
“Of course I would.” My heart fills with warmth over the fact Cade is alive. “But I suggest you don’t jump in front of any bullets again. I’m not sure I could save you the next time.”
I take in the strong facial features of the man I love, and my heart swells with my emotions, which are a mix of love and fear over the fact he almost died. I wonder how I’ll do with him being on the front lines of whatever battle may be headed our way.
“What is it?” he asks.
“I was just worrying. I’m not sure I’d survive if you died.”
“I’m not dying. I’m too stubborn for that.” I chuckle as he says, “Thank you for saving me, Bella. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be indebted to.”
I think about the guilt the young warrior Will feels and say, “Oh, no, you don’t. I will not allow you to feel as if you have to pay me back somehow. I would have done it for anyone.”
“You would have bonded with a crotchety old warrior to save his life?”
“I--I would.”
Now Cade grins. “You hesitated. I think you love me.”
“Well, duh. We’re bonded.”
“We weren’t when you got jealous over Desiree.”
“That was different.” An icy fist clenches my heart. “Wait. Did...?”
“Of course not.” Cade chuckles and tries to sit up. He lets out a groan of pain.
“Lie back down,” I say as I place my hand on his shoulder.
He grasps my fingers with a surprisingly strong grip, considering his condition. “Bella. Tell me you didn’t love me before we bonded.”